A watchdog group is asking U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to review Gov. Tim Walz’s response to the federal government’s recent immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota and determine any “military-related punishment that should be administered.”
In January, Walz was among several Minnesota officials who were subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an investigation into whether he obstructed immigration enforcement efforts that were being conducted by the federal government in Minnesota.
That immigration enforcement effort, known as Operation Metro Surge, unfolded in late 2025 and early 2026. Operation Metro Surge received national attention as federal agents worked to arrest illegal aliens, and Minnesota residents tried to obstruct those operations.
During the operation, Democrats lambasted ICE, called for the federal agency to leave the state, and engaged in anti-ICE demonstrations. Walz was among the Democrats who was highly critical of ICE, the federal government, and the operations taking place.
In an address to Minnesota in January, Walz described ICE agents as “undertrained,” and said they were “pulling over people indiscriminately,” “kidnapping innocent people with no warning and no due process,” and “dragging pregnant women down the street.”
During that address, Walz described Operation Metro Surge as “a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government,” and encouraged Minnesotans to “create a database” of ICE actions for future prosecution.
Days after that speech, the Associated Press reported that Walz was subpoenaed in connection to a federal investigation into whether the governor and other Minnesota officials obstructed Operation Metro Surge via public statements they made.
Now, a national watchdog group called the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) is asking the U.S. Department of War (DOW) to take action.
In a letter to DOW, the watchdog group said Walz “received a grand jury subpoena related to a federal investigation into whether he obstructed or impeded federal law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.”
Alpha News contacted the Department of Justice about the status of the investigation into Walz but did not hear back prior to publication.
“Given the severity of these potential federal crime(s) and Walz’s status as a retired member of the Army, we believe a review is necessary to determine any necessary punishment that should be administered to Walz, including any court martial proceedings or administrative measures,” CASA added.
Walz, who served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, retired from the military in May of 2005. He joined the Nebraska National Guard in 1981 and later served in the Minnesota National Guard. Walz retired with the rank of master sergeant and receives a pension.
In its letter, CASA said Walz’s call for an ICE database is “designed to obstruct” efforts to detain illegal aliens. The group also noted that the database could be used to “potentially target, threaten, or harass specific agents” depending on who has access to the database.
“All of this is designed to deter agents from doing their job, which is a de facto way of obstructing the operation itself,” CASA wrote. “But if the system is used to track agents in real time, as he implies people should do, the effort becomes overt obstruction of federal immigration enforcement activities.
“All of this is potential grounds for investigation of Walz,” added the watchdog group. CASA also said “it is against federal law to threaten a federal law enforcement officer with future prosecution for legally executing his job responsibilities.”
Alpha News contacted Walz’s office for this story but did not immediately hear back.
Concluding their letter, CASA said, “Given our serious concerns above and the ongoing federal investigation into Walz, we are requesting that you initiate a review of this conduct to determine any necessary military-related punishment that should be administered.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
